Driver fired, charged with leaving pupil on bus

April 14, 2009

A school bus driver who left a 4-year-old Park Ridge boy on her bus while she went shopping last week has been fired and faces a charge of one count of misdemeanor endangering the life of a child, authorities said today.

Yolande V. Knight, 60, of the 1200 block of Glenview Road in Glenview, dropped children off at the Jefferson School Early Childhood Center in Niles on the morning of April 8, then went shopping with the child still on the bus, police said. They said Jefferson School serves special needs pre-kindergarten students.

"She stated she didn't know that the child was on the bus," said Niles Police Sgt. Tom Davis.

Niles police were called to the school a little later by school officials who were concerned the boy was missing and may have been left on the school bus, investigators said.

They said the company that provides the bus service, Septran Inc. in Wheeling, tried but was unable to reach Knight on her cell phone. A Septran spokesperson said today that Knight has been fired.

Suspecting that Knight may have gone home, Niles police contacted Glenview authorities and asked them to be on the lookout for the bus, authorities said. Glenview police found the bus a little while later near Waukegan and Glenview Roads, and found Knight in a nearby party supply store. The 4-year-old was on the bus in good condition.

Police told Knight to return to the school with the boy, and when she got there she was met by the child's frantic parents and school officials, police said.

Police said Knight was negligent in her duties as a school bus driver, because she failed to properly inspect her bus after dropping off the students.

Knight was released on a recognizance bond and is scheduled for an April 27th hearing at the Skokie courthouse.